Valve is revisiting Steam Machine pricing and release timing due to "rapidly" increasing memory and storage shortages

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Valve is revisiting Steam Machine pricing and release timing due to "rapidly" increasing memory and storage shortages News By Jordan Gerblick published 5 February 2026

"Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed. But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates"

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Looks like the Steam Machine is going to be a little more expensive than expected due to what Valve calls a "rapidly" increasing shortage of storage and memory.

In a new update on the Steam Hardware lineup that was announced in November, Valve says it initially planned to reveal pricing and release timing details by now, but the ongoing and unprecedented memory chip shortage – made worse by a surge in demand from AI data centers, according to the International Data Corporation – threw a wrench in those plans.

"The memory and storage shortages you've likely heard about across the industry have rapidly increased since [the announcement]," Valve says. "The limited availability and growing prices of these critical components mean we must revisit our exact shipping schedule and pricing." Valve notes that this pertains "especially" to the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, Valve's new VR headset.

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• Steam Machine price "more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market," confirms Valve – but "ideally we'd be pretty competitive with that and have a pretty good deal"
• As Valve confirms Steam Machine will be priced more like a PC than a console, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says its decision not to sell at a loss "isn't stupid," but it is "peculiar"
• Steam Machine price "will not be cheap," with analysts predicting anywhere between the "mid-five hundreds" and $1,000, as Valve "can basically do what it wants"

"Our goal of shipping all three products in the first half of the year has not changed," Valve clarifies. "But we have work to do to land on concrete pricing and launch dates that we can confidently announce, being mindful of how quickly the circumstances around both of those things can change."

While we wait on that crucial information, Valve published a Q&A with answers to the community's most burning questions, like "Can Steam Frame be used while wearing glasses?" (Probably, but it depends on how thick your glasses are.)

The Q&A also revealed that the Steam Machine will let you upgrade its RAM as well as its SSD, which is something traditional consoles don't let you do. So, it might be outrageously expensive and it might launch later than planned, but at least you'll be able to stuff a little extra RAM in that bad boy.

Meanwhile, Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation, which had the biggest MMO Kickstarter campaign ever, after leadership resignation and mass layoffs

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Valve CATEGORIES Desktop PCs Hardware Jordan GerblickSocial Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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Logout Read more Steam Machine price "more in line with what you might expect from the current PC market," confirms Valve – but "ideally we'd be pretty competitive with that and have a pretty good deal"    As Valve confirms Steam Machine will be priced more like a PC than a console, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says its decision not to sell at a loss "isn't stupid," but it is "peculiar"    Steam Machine price "will not be cheap," with analysts predicting anywhere between the "mid-five hundreds" and $1,000, as Valve "can basically do what it wants"    Valve still won't say how much the Steam Machine will cost, so tech experts made their own version and estimate a $700 price    "The real money isn’t in the box" - Analysts are torn on Steam Machine pricing, but I'm hopeful it won't be $1,000    What to expect from Valve in 2026: the return of the Steam Machine, a new VR headset, and more Half-Life 3 rumors    Latest in PC Gaming Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation after leadership resignation and mass layoffs    Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone still feels "like an amateur" even with nearly 50 million copies sold    World of Warcraft Midnight is the "the fastest expansion" Blizzard has ever made, with "no sacrifices to team health"    Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 players have killed more NPCs than there were people on Earth in the real 15th century    Blizzard renames Overwatch 2 to Overwatch years after deciding Overwatch was Overwatch 2 which was still Overwatch    Legendary Journey composer dedicates his Grammy win to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33    Latest in News Valve is revisiting Steam Machine pricing and release timing due to "rapidly" increasing memory and storage shortages    Marvel Rivals owner Netease says heck no we didn't shut down our AI department or warn devs off it    Game of Thrones star joins season 2 of underrated Stephen King sci-fi show from Lost director    Google's Project Genie is "not even in the same ballpark" as a real game engine according to Take-Two    Marvel and Life of Chuck actor to star alongside Scarlett Johansson in Mike Flanagan's Exorcist reboot    The first trailer for Netflix's War Machine channels Predator vibes as Reacher star takes on an unstoppable killer robot    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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